Jordan's Princess Raiyah bint Al-Hussein marries Roald Dahl's grandson

Jordan's Princess Raiyah bint Al-Hussein, half-sister of King Abdullah II, has married the grandson of acclaimed children's writer Roald Dahl, Ned Donovan.

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein, 33, Donovan, 25 tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in the UK, according to pictures she shared on Twitter on Tuesday.

A brief ceremony was held at the Windsor estate of her mother, Queen Noor, who was present.

"Thank you all for your kind messages on our wedding!" she said in a Twitter post.

"While it was originally planned for April in Jordan, the pandemic derailed those plans and it was safer for my husband's family to hold it in the UK. God willing, we look forward to celebrating in Jordan once the situation allows."

Local media in Jordan reported that Donovan, who is a freelance journalist, had converted to Islam ahead of the wedding and changed his name to Faris.

His website shows that he has worked as a freelance foreign correspondent for the Daily Mail and The Times.

"I recently completed an intensive Modern Standard Arabic course which taught me two things," he adds on his site.

"That my Arabic is not very good, and that I will keep trying to improve it." 

The couple got engaged on October 26, 2019.

A statement released at the time read: "The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Raiyah and to Mr. Donovan on this occasion."

Read also: Another UAE princess attempted to escape royal family: report

Raiyah bint Al-Hussein is the half-sister of the embattled Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein, who is fighting Dubai's billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum in the High Court to secure a forced marriage protection order for their two children, who live with her in the UK.

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